Madness
by Mouserocks-nerd
Summary: Just when Lois and Clark decide to turn to STAR Labs to help them have a baby, something goes wrong. Someone's onto Clark, and he's getting paranoid... What will it take to stop the madness? Read and Review!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I know, I know. I have many other stories to finish. But this one is definitely on its way to completion much sooner than the others, so here we are. With a new story. At least you get something. :) I will return to the others, I swear, just after I put this one back together again. ;)

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. Not Lois and Clark. Not any Superman references in general. Not any of the quotes that I post up with each chapter. This chapter's quote credit goes to William Shakespeare. There. You've got nothing on me.

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_"Madness in Great ones must not unwatched go." - King Claudius, Shakespeare's Hamlet_

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"There. All done!"

Clark scowled and pulled his shirt back on quickly, wincing slightly at the movement. The doctor seemed entirely too chipper for his tastes. Anyone that just stuck a bunch of needles into someone else should not sound so ecstatic.

"Don't worry- I've engineered it so that the side effects of the Kryptonite should wear off within the half hour."

"I'm still not so sure about that, Bernie."

"Clark," Dr. Klein took on a chiding tone and Clark cut him off before he could respond.

"I know, I know. Everything's worked out fine so far. It hasn't effected me as long or as strongly as normal, and the needles really don't hurt so bad-"

"And with more exposure to the doctored dose, the quicker you'll gain immunity against it, and your powers should exponentially return at a faster rate. You won't be without them for long before you can be up and flying around again."

Clark nodded and took a deep breath, readying himself to face his wife in the other room. When he'd just about decided he was ready as he'd ever be, Dr. Klein placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"Clark," he pursed his lips, looking unsure. "I know you're nervous about the blood and tissue samples- and mostly about the kryptonite, but I still have to ask- are you sure you're okay with this?"

Clark nodded. "Of course. I'm perfectly all right, Dr. Klein."

"Oh, no. I mean, physically, of course you're all right. You're Superman. Granted, you're probably not feeling so super just yet, but you are super nonetheless..."

"Doctor," Clark hinted, trying to gently put his friend back on track.

"Right. Sorry. It's just that... I would understand if mentally or emotionally, you're feeling a little out of control on this one."

"Bernie, I can assure you, I'm fine."

"Yes, yes, of course." He took to pacing, not sure how he could possibly phrase this to the Man of Steel. "Only... well, this isn't exactly a normal case, but in any case... most people in your relative position who feel fine and claim to be fine but are inexplicably nervous... It's not just because of the needles."

Clark stared at his friend in confusion. "What are you talking about?"

Bernard Klein took a deep, calming breath and tried to put it as delicately as possible. "Sometimes, it's more a fear of what's to come than of what it takes to get there. Are you... is there any possibilty that this nervousness is derived from some second thoughts?"

Clark looked taken aback briefly. "What? No."

"I'm not saying that you may purposely be having these thoughts, or that you even like having them, but it is a big step you're taking, and it's perfectly natural to be a little bit concerned with how things will be in the future."

"Bernie," his voice had steel in it, and immediately the doctor met his gaze and held it. "I want to do this. Really, I do. I can't tell you how much it would mean to me if Lois and I could have a child of our own together. It would mean the world to me- to us both. Yes, I'm concerned about what the kryptonite will do to me- to my powers, and if something horrible will go wrong at a point in time when I'm without them. But I still want to do this. More than anything in the world."

Dr. Klein remained silent for a while, considering, before ultimately deciding it wasn't his place to delve any further. "All I'm saying is that you and Lois should talk more about this. That's all. Because the farther we go with this, the more difficult it will be to stop the process."

Clark was silent, lips pursed in thought, before he finally gave the doctor an almost imperceptible nod and took his leave.

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**Review, s'il vous plait! Give me your thoughts on this prologue, of sorts!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** See? Fairly quick uploads on this one. Don't you worry about a thing. :)

**Disclaimer:** If you'll notice, I provide the source from which I borrow the quote after the actual quote, so that's all taken care of. Now all that's left to say is that I don't own Superman.

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_"Yet mad I am not... and very surely I do not dream."- Edgar Allen Poe, in The Black Cat_

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Clark sat in the passenger seat of the Jeep as Lois for once took it slow on their way home. He kept his arms firmly planted on the armrests- just in case his powers returned at random and overwhelmed him or (the more likely explanation) in case Lois' driving returned to its usual state of out-of-control.

He turned to look out the window with a sigh. He didn't know why, but somehow Clark felt very nervous about this whole situation. He wanted kids- no doubt about it. That wasn't the problem at all. No, the problem was the kryptonite. What if it didn't wear off as quickly as Bernie claimed? Or if he didn't gain an immunity to it? Or if somehow the kryptonite weakened his child in the future? What if he couldn't leave for a rescue on time because he didn't have his powers back yet, or because he couldn't afford to leave at that point in time?

He stiffened. Where had that thought come from? He hadn't worried so much about juggling Superman's life and Clark Kent's before. Why should this be any different? His powers would be gone for thirty minutes, twice a week. No big deal. An hour a week? Please.

_You know exactly what the worry is,_ he chided himself. An hour a week was nothing compared to entire days- or worse, having his powers, but not being able to go help with a rescue fast enough because he had a screaming, crying baby in his arms.

His mind was running a mile a minute with the possibilities. What if he didn't want to go on rescues at all anymore, once the baby was born? What if he just didn't even listen in to the calls for help because he was too overwhelmed with work and the baby and Lois and everything else? What if it was the opposite, and he was too busy to spend any time with his child? Or with Lois? How could he ever live with himself if any of that happened?

He forced himself to take a deep breath. Those were problems for a hundred tomorrows from now. He shouldn't be worrying about it- he had plenty of time before he even had to think about such things. Lois wasn't even pregnant yet.

_But she could be soon._

Clark felt his heart leap up to his throat and couldn't fight to keep the smile off his face. No matter his crazy theories or the possible consequences of having a child- they were having a child. He refused to back out just because he was having some doubts about his own competence. Besides, all the books said those were normal emotions to run through in the months before parenthood. He was normal. He was fine.

When he finally let loose another sigh, this one of relief, Lois snapped. "What?"

Clark looked back at her, startled. "What?"

"You've been moping and sighing the whole drive home. I can't take it any more. What's your problem?"

"Nothing. I'm perfectly fine."

"Yeah. That's why you've been completely silent this whole time," she retorted bitingly. Clark winced slightly and Lois struggled to tamp down her anger. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so short. But you know- you're not just getting the kryptonite- I'm getting tested and injected too, so I'm sorry if I can't be entirely civil _all_ of the time, Mr. Perfect. And you know, you're not so perfect either, so stop looking at me with such judgement."

He must have looked pretty confused, Clark mused, because she glanced at him and softened her features, releasing a sigh of her own. "I'm sorry. I think that last hormone injection did a number on me. What were you thinking about?"

He shrugged. "Not much really." _Liar,_ his subconscious berated himself. _You've covered just about everything under the sun._

Lois paused, thinking a while. "Are you... okay with everything?"

He looked to his wife quizzically. "What? Of course I'm okay."

"But I mean... I know how much you hate the kryptonite needles, and doctors, and you're just sitting here all silent ever since we left Dr. Klein's office. Of course, Bernie did tell me to talk with you and try to get you to open up, but I didn't know why. Did you say something to him? Is the kryptonite causing you any more pain?"

"Honey, I'm fine," Clark jumped in quickly before the babble went on unchecked. "Really, I am. My powers should be coming back within the next ten-fifteen minutes or so, and I'm not in any pain or anything, so I'm fine. All right?"

Lois eyed him suspiciously out of the corner of her eye. "So, what's on your mind then?"

Clark had to work hard to restrain himself from loosing another sigh. "I don't know. It's just... it's all happening so fast. We started these tests only a week ago, Lois. What if the kryptonite does affect me some way, and keep me from catching a rescue, or if it does something to our future child? What if..."

"What if you're not ready for this?"

He snapped his head up to look at his wife, mouth agape. "No, no. That's not it at all. I am ready for this, Lois. I want to start a family with you- I can't tell you how much it would mean to me if we could have a child together. But... it doesn't keep the worries away."

"Like?"

The tone of her voice was gentle, non-threatening. She wanted him to open up about this, it seemed. Dr. Klein thought it would be beneficial also. And so he went on. "What if I screw this up? Or if something happened to you, or me? I couldn't survive without you, Lois. Or what if I can't balance life as Superman and life as a father? How could I possibly tear myself away from our child? Or abandon people in need when I don't want to be there? I don't know how I can manage, and I'm terrified that I'll mess it up."

Lois didn't respond for a few moments, and for a second there Clark worried he'd said something wrong. Her lips were pursed in thought and her brow furrowed. "Clark," she began slowly, still considering. "Everybody feels inadequate when it comes to parenting. I mean, you're raising another life form. I'm just as scared as you are that I'll screw this up. Look at my family background. Not exactly a sterling example in the field of parenting."

"Lois, don't talk that way. You're going to be a great mother."

"And you're going to be a great parent too, Clark." She turned in her seat slightly so as to face her husband better and establish some eye contact. "I've never known a man who was more destined to be a father than you are. You're loving, and sweet, and fun, and caring- and all the things my father wasn't- and you're going to be the best father in the world. In the universe," she corrected with a smile. "And it doesn't hurt that you're Superman, either. Now, if you're really not a fan of the kryptonite needles and tests or how we're going about it, then maybe we can put it off and see if there's still any other options out there for us."

Clark shook his head firmly. "No. I want to do this. I want to have a baby with you, Lois. If you're willing to go through with it, then I'm on board with you a hundred percent."

Lois allowed a small, wistful smile to finally grace her features. "I am, Clark. I really am. I'm ready for this."

Clark smiled at his beautiful wife. "Then let's do it."

Lois smiled at him softly, thanking him with her eyes. Clark smiled back.

Suddenly something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. "Lois! Brake!"

Lois snapped her gaze back to the road ahead and slammed the brakes hard. They lurched forward in their seats, Clark clutching the armrests tightly and screwing his eyes shut. The car skidded to a stop, leaving both of them panting with adrenaline.

Clark rubbed the back of his neck, unused to the feeling of strain on it. Of all the times for something like this to happen, it had to be right after he'd been exposed to Kryptonite and pricked all over with needles. "Lois? You all right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. You?"

Clark nodded. "Yeah."

"What the heck was that, Clark?"

"Sorry. I saw... I thought I saw something."

Lois scoffed. "What? Oh, you mean the manhole cover? Yeah, I saw that too."

"No! I mean, something... moved. In my peripheral. I saw it." Clark paused to rub his neck tenderly again. "Sorry."

Lois' expression softened and she released a sigh as she looked at him. "Hey, you sure you're okay, honey?"

Clark tossed her a taut smile. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just felt that a little more than usual, that's all. You know? I'm fine."

Lois gave his hand a light pat before putting the car back into gear and drove on. Clark released a breath he'd been holding and shook his head to clear it. But it did nothing to dispel his sudden feelings of uneasiness.

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**Reviews get you updates faster... XP**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: **Here's the next part. :) Sorry it's been a little while. School started up again this week. Lots of running around. Anyway, enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own anything. Sorry to anyone that might bother. :P

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**"The statistics on sanity are that one out of every four people is suffering from a mental illness. Look at your 3 best friends. If they're ok, then it's you." ― Rita Mae Brown**

Clark slowly buttoned up his shirt. Another appointment. Another round of needles. He could appreciate Bernie's thoroughness, but how perfectly did he need to understand Clark's blood make up? Couldn't he just get some DNA from another method? Or take any other sample that didn't involve needles?

His mind flashed back to the small room with magazines and the tiny cup, and he shuddered.

Nevermind.

"So, Kent..." Bernie looked more awkward than usual, and immediately alarm bells were going off in Clark's mind. The scientist was wringing his hands and avoiding eye contact. "I, um, I'm not quite sure how to ask this of you, but, I need to ask it anyway, and I'm sure you're not going to like it-"

"Doctor."

"Right. Well, here goes nothing." He took a deep breath, looking everywhere at once except his patient. "I'm going to have to ask you to stop having relations with Lois."

Clark felt his mouth fall open as the doctor continued to squirm and he managed to squeak out a small "What?"

Dr. Klein released a small sigh. "Look, Clark. I know it might be a lot to ask-"

"Might be?"

"-And that it may seem out of bounds, but I can assure you, I have my reasons."

He sighed. Could things get any worse? "Why?"

"A couple of reasons. I want to start monitoring your brain chemistry, first of all, and secondly, I'm going to be monitoring Lois a little bit more closely as well. How her body reacts to different things entering her system, with reference to your DNA or... other similar chemicals."

Clark nodded slowly. "Okay... How long would this have to last?"

Dr. Klein hesitated. "To start? Two weeks."

Clark let loose a groan and put his face in his hands. This hurt worse than the kryptonite.

"Clark? You can do this, can't you?"

He sighed, completely frustrated. _Better get used to that feeling, buddy._ "Yeah. I can do it."

*****LnC*****

Clark walked late into the Daily Planet, plopping down into his desk chair and dropping his face into his hands. Why oh why was fate so cruel to him? How could they torture him so? It wasn't fair.

He felt a pair of slender hands slink around his shoulders and groaned as they began to massage in a circular motion. "Mmm... Lois." He felt all of the tension drain out of his neck before his wife removed her hands and walked away to turn in their next assignment. He sighed and murmured to himself. "I can't believe that Bernie wants us to go two weeks without sex."

Suddenly Clark was covered in spewed coffee. He cringed and turned to see Jimmy, choking on his coffee as he leaned on Clark's desk for support. "Sorry, Jim. I, uh, didn't hear you come up. Didn't mean for you to hear that."

Once recovered, Jimmy struggled to keep from laughing out loud at Clark's fierce blush. "It's okay buddy. That was my fault. I was just dropping by those photos you wanted a look at for the Murphey case."

"Right. Right," Clark nodded, mostly reassuring himself as he took the files off of his friend's hands. "Yeah. I'll take a look. Yeah."

"Okay." Jimmy's expression suddenly grew very serious and he placed a firm hand on Clark's shoulder. "Hey. Hang in there buddy."

Clark groaned and Jimmy started laughing uncontrollably as he quickly stumbled away. "Great," Clark mumbled. "And there goes the whole news room."

"Hey, what was that all about?"

Clark turned in his seat to face his wife once more, this time with a slight frown. "Did you go turn in that assignment already?"

Lois gave him a funny look. "No, but I was just on my way to. Why?"

He shook his head. "Nevermind. It's nothing, really."

"Jimmy doesn't seem to think it's nothing."

Clark sighed before explaining. "Did Dr. Klein tell you that we'd have to keep from having sex for two weeks at your appointment yesterday?"

Lois looked to her feet sheepishly.

"He did?!"

She raised her hands in defense. "Hey, it's not my fault that you couldn't make it to the appointment because of a 'Superman exclusive'! Besides," her voice took on a sultry tone as her eyes darkened considerably. "I wanted one more night to enjoy myself with you."

Clark groaned. "Sweetheart, if we're going to survive through this at all, you're going to have to stop talking like that immediately."

His wife grinned at him wickedly, and Clark had a feeling that this challenge would prove to be more than he could bear. "Think of it as foreplay, Clark. Really long, hard foreplay."

Yep. Unbearable. "Honey, you're killing me."

She winked at him, but for now, thank goodness, Lois relented. "I'll let you get back to work. Right now I've got to turn in that piece on the Murphey trial."

"Wait! Wait!" She turned back to her husband's desk. "Here. Take Jimmy's photos. I didn't get a chance to look through them, but I'm sure they're fine. Perry makes the call anyway." She smiled coyly at him and stalked off towards Perry's office at a brisk pace.

Clark smiled after, gaze dropping to take in her delicious curves, knowing she was putting an extra swing in her steps just to torture him. He shook his head. She knew him too well.

"Kent!" Perry's voice boomed suddenly, attracting Clark's attention. "There'll be no ogling in my newsroom, understand? There is a deadline here, and I still have a gaping hole in my front page, so get to work!"

Lois tapped her boss on the shoulder and sweetly handed him their story.

"What in the hell is... oh. Oh." Perry looked back up at Clark, who was grinning at him. "Uhm, well. Make yourself useful. This ain't the Smallville Press, son. Get going."

Perry stomped off on his warpath, finding a new employee to harass and leaving Clark all by his lonesome. With a sigh, Clark returned to his work.

But what could he do? Now that their assignment was in, Clark didn't have anything left to work on. He should be out looking for stories, he knew, but for some reason he just didn't feel like doing anything. He sat there, bordering on catatonic, until his phone rang and nearly sent him out of his seat.

"Kent," he picked up quickly on the first ring. _Please be something newsworthy. I'm going crazy with boredom._

"Clark Kent?" The deep male voice over the phone asked.

"Speaking."

There was a slight pause before he finally spoke- words that chilled Clark to the bone.

"They're coming for you."

Then there was nothing but dial tone.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Here's Part 4. :-) Sorry the uploads are a bit slow right now. I'm back in school again, sigh. :P

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_I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity." - Edgar Allan Poe_

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Clark froze and felt all of the color drain from his features. Coming for him? What was that supposed to mean? Him? Clark Kent? His mind was going a mile a minute, racing with all the possibilities.

"You gonna make a call, CK? Or are you just trying to look busy for the Chief's sake?"

"Huh?"

Jimmy gestured to the phone still in his tight grasp, knuckles growing white out of fear. Clark looked down at the device and noticed he was probably an inch away from breaking it into a million pieces. "Oh!" He quickly hung it up but couldn't find it in him to look sheepish.

Jimmy's brow furrowed. "Hey, everything all right?"

"Yeah, yeah. Fine. Just a... a weird phone call."

His young friend frowned. "I didn't hear..."

Clark looked at him, puzzled. "What?"

Jimmy shrugged. "Nevermind. Hey, just wanted to drop by those photos."

Clark blanched. "I thought you just did that."

Jimmy blushed. "Sorry about that. I gave you the wrong file. _These_ are the Murphey trial photos." He set them on his desk with a plop. "What'd you do with the other ones?"

Suddenly Perry's voice rang out. "OLSEN!"

Clark cringed. "Sorry, buddy."

Jimmy sighed and picked up the new file as he trudged towards Perry's office in defeat. Clark shook his head at the young photographer, amused for a moment, before his thoughts returned to the mysterious phone call.

Who was after him? Another reporter? Some unknown villain? The government? There was no limit really to who it could be. As Superman, it could almost literally be anyone in the world. He had no shortage of enemies. As Clark Kent... well, he'd pissed off a lot of people in the past, too. Stories, hunches, his travels- anything could have done it.

And now a mystery man had called and tipped him off that someone was after him.

Clark couldn't explain the feeling of panic rising in his chest as he turned his eyes on the news room, gaze roving across the space. What if, whoever it was, they were watching him, right now? What if they were checking to see if he was Superman? What if they already knew? He shuddered at that thought. It wouldn't be the first time somebody had guessed. But it was definitely more dangerous now.

He had Lois to think about now.

Suddenly Clark bolted upright. _Lois!_ Quickly he located her, picking yet another fight with her boss as Jimmy tried to make himself scarce in the corner. Good. She was safe.

Unless someone had eyes or ears on the place.

Clark jumped to his feet and barged into Perry White's office without knocking.

"Kent! What in Sam Hill are you doing barging in here like some two hundred pound gorrilla?!"

His mouth hung open as he glanced from his wife to his boss and back to his wife again. "Uh, is everyone okay in here?"

"Okay? Everything's fine here. What's your problem, Kent?"

Lois' expression grew from one of irritation at being interrupted to a look of concern. "Clark? Honey, is everything okay?"

Clark looked past her, over the rim of his glasses- searching for any sort of bugs, cameras or listening devices. He didn't hear anything, but that wasn't definitive.

He came up empty.

Breathing a sigh of relief, he collapsed into one of Perry's office chairs. Lois' tone was that of concern. "Clark? Is everything all right? Answer me, honey."

"It... I'm fine. I thought maybe... but you're all... I don't know."

"Kent," Perry's drawl cut through the tense silence. "Is there something going on we should know about?"

Clark shook his head. "I... I just got a weird phone call, somebody saying they were out to get me."

"You?" Lois asked suspiciously, Clark being the only one who picked up on her underlying message.

"Yes, me. And I just had this gut feeling that whoever it might be, would go after you."

"Did you get a name, number...?"

He shook his head violently. "Nope. It was just an anonymous tip- blocked number. He said someone was after me."

Clark looked shifty. Nervous. Lois furrowed her brow at her husband. They'd faced similar threats before. Why did this put him so on edge? "It was probably some stupid crank caller," she reassured him. "Nothing to be worried about."

Clark slowly shook his head. He wouldn't make eye contact with her. "Maybe. But this felt... different. More... ominous."

Lois looked at her boss to take point on this. Perry sighed and rounded his desk. "Clark, if you think it's really something serious, then someone will contact you again. Go see if you can find anything out. Maybe talk to the police, or Superman. Or go home and make sure your place is okay. We'll keep an eye on your phone for you here. If anyone suspicious comes in, you'll be the first to know about it. Got it?"

Clark thought about it rationally. There were more people here. There were more people on the streets outside. More people meant more risk.

There shouldn't be anyone at their house.

"All right," he conceded eventually. "But could Lois come with me?"

"Clark, I've got stuff to do here. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine with Jimmy and Perry. You just go."

Clark glanced at his two friends warily.

_"Don't trust them."_

Clark snapped his gaze to his wife. She didn't just say that, did she? Her expression of confusion said that she hadn't. But why would he think that? Perry and Jimmy were his friends. He could trust them. He would trust them. He had to. He did.

And yet the seed of doubt was there.

"I can't let her stay here."

Lois arched a brow. "You can't let me? You want to revise that statement?"

"I just... I can't protect you if you're here."

"Clark, just how much protecting do you plan on doing? Besides, I'm practically dangling over the jaws of death every other day- this is nothing new for me. And even if I did just drop everything and run home with you right now- what are we going to do with all this spare time at home alone?"

Clark flushed with heat at the implications and Jimmy burst out with laughter. Perry scowled and crossed his arms. "Am I missing something here?"

"No," Clark responded tersely. "I'm getting out of here."

Lois shot him an all too innocent smile, and Jimmy laughed him all the way out of the bullpen.

Sometimes, he hated that Lois always won.

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**Review, please!**


	5. Chapter 5

_"It is sometimes an appropriate response to reality to go insane." - Phillip J. Dick, VALIS _

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Clark decided to walk. Maybe he could track whomever was following him that way, and hopefully no one would discover he was Superman. If they didn't already know, that is.

There was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary, though. Clark entered their brownstone with a sigh. Whatever was going on, whoever was after him, obviously wasn't after him today.

Immediately, Clark conducted a full sweep of their home, searching for bugs or cameras implanted anywhere. Nothing.

He frowned. Maybe tomorrow he would catch whoever it was that was following him.

But the next day held the same results. No one watching him as he and Lois drove to work. No signs of anyone getting into their home, or raiding their desks. And nowhere could he find any method of spying on him.

Perhaps Lois was right. Maybe it was just a joke.

That didn't keep him from scanning every room he walked into or jumping every time someone brushed past him randomly.

By the third day, Clark had just about dismissed it. Surely if someone was after him, they wouldn't wait so long. And there was no way Superman couldn't catch whoever it was if they were following him.

So he sat at his desk once more, staring blankly at his computer monitor, avoiding eye contact with his colleagues and doing his best to make himself scarce all day long. Or at least until he had to go to his next appointment with Dr. Klein this afternoon and could slip out of sight.

"Look alive, Clark," his wife sat on his desk and leaned in to pat his cheek.

He focused his gaze on her form confusedly. "What's going on?"

"We got a hot one. A girl that went missing last week turned up at the police station with complete amnesia and some curious bruises. And since we've both had our own bouts with amnesia..."

"Perry wants us on it."

"Yep. Let's go."

Clark sighed and raised himself to his feet with some dread. Amnesia patients were so difficult to deal with- he should know, of course. He didn't know what Perry expected to get out of this.

"You coming?"

"Yeah," he replied quickly and caught up to his wife in the elevator. "Maybe we stop by Dr. Klein's on the way over, just to get it out of the way."

Lois nodded her consent. "All right. But only if we also stop for lunch. I'm starving!"

Clark chuckled as the elevator doors closed on them.

*****LnC*****

"Henderson," Lois greeted cooly.

The inspector couldn't repress his groan. "What do you want, Lane?"

"Oh, not much. Anything new for us on the victim?"

"Lois, I told you once and I'll tell you again. When we're ready to talk to the press, we will. But this is still an ongoing investigation."

"Maybe we can help?" She asked sweetly.

Henderson rolled his eyes and turned to Clark, speaking only half-sarcastically. "You need to get some control of your wife, Kent."

Clark snapped his head back to the Inspector. "Hmm? Sorry. Did you say something?"

Both Lois and Henderson gave him a curious glance. "Um, honey, you feeling okay? Maybe you should head back outside, get some fresh air. You're not looking so hot."

"I-I'm fine."

"Are you sure? Because you know I can handle Henderson, right?"

The inspector rolled his eyes silently and Clark nodded. "I'm fine. Really."

"Right. So, you were saying about this girl-"

"Lane," Bill gritted out on a groan.

Clark tuned out. It was back again. The watched feeling. It had been coming back to him off and on the last three days, but he hadn't found anything to justify it.

A body brushed past him and he felt a chill run down his spine. He couldn't keep taking this. It was ridiculous. He couldn't keep putting up with this.

"Hey, Kent."

He froze briefly. It was the voice from the phone call. Was it someone from the precinct? He spun around quickly to see his taunter, only to realize that he must have just turned the corner and was heading outside.

Clark pushed his way around pedestrians to try and find him.

Nothing.

Not even a scan of the area with his x-ray vision did any good. Not that he could make the guy by his looks. He hadn't even glimpsed the face to whom the voice belonged. He sighed.

"Clark? What's wrong? What's going on?" His wife caught up with him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He fairly jumped out of his skin as he spun to face her. He could see the surprise and concern in her features and convinced himself to relax.

"Sorry. I just... I thought I spotted someone."

Lois furrowed her brow. "Who?"

"I just... I thought I heard that guy call my name and then someone ran outside."

"What guy?"

"The one who called and told me someone was after me. It was his voice, Lois, I swear."

"You've been getting threats, Kent?"

Clark seemed to have noticed Henderson's presence for the first time. "Yes. No. Not really. We all done here, Lois?"

"You know, if you ever feel endangered or threatened, you should always take it to the police, right? Is there something or someone you need help with?"

Clark looked askance at the inspector, judging him through slitted eyes.

The voice had been at the police station. Either by design or by accident, it was there.

Henderson might know the voice.

"No," he spoke tersely, plastering on a fake, taut smile almost as an after thought.

"Clark..."

"It's fine, Lois. Come on. Let's go write up our story for Perry."

"We don't even have enough information-"

"It's fine."

"Kent," Henderson's voice cut through, harsh and unyeilding. "What's going on? Why won't you talk to me?"

"Nothing, Bill. I'm fine. I just need a little bit of a break, that's all. Come on, Lois."

Lois frowned but followed her husband. "We'll check back with you later, Bill."

Bill Henderson wore a matching look of concern and confusion as his friends walked briskly off together. "You do that."

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**A/N:** Sorry it's been so long! School and work and housesitting and chaos all mean no time! (even though really, this is already written technically... for the most part...) So yeah, sorry about the wait. But I shall do my best to update more frequently and in the meantime I will keep writing when and where I can so things are closer to being ready for posting. XD Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** New chapter! Enjoy, send me your questions and I'll hopefully add stuff soon!

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"Clark! What was all that about?"

The door to their brownstone slammed shut behind them, and Clark immediately took to pacing back and forth in their living room. He carded a hand through his hair as he thought about his wife's question. She had no idea how loaded a question that was. No idea the amount of turmoil it put him through just to think about all of the things that could go wrong, would go wrong and [i]were[/i] going wrong around him. What was that all about, indeed. What wasn't it about? Someone was after them and his entire life could be splitting apart at the seams. The voice that had delivered the threat had been at the police station. He could have been a criminal, there for processing. Perhaps a lawyer, slimy looking and silver-tongued, helping a criminal escape the charges he was under. Maybe it was a cop even. It could have been a genuine warning that had been delivered over the phone, by a decent and honest officer of the law. Or it even could have been a dirty cop, who had something in store for him the next time he showed up around the precinct. He just didn't know. And he had no way of knowing for sure.

"Clark? Did you hear me? I asked you what happened back there?"

He let out a frustrated groan at his wife. "I don't know, okay? I don't know. I just... I had to get out of there."

Lois scowled and crossed her arms over her chest. Clark knew that look. He knew what would come after that look, too. But he couldn't do anything to stop it. How could he explain himself any further and expect her to understand? [i]He[/i] didn't even understand it all himself! He was being irrational, and he knew it quite well. He didn't need Lois to inform him of that.

"Why wouldn't you just talk to Henderson? He's probably back there conjuring up twenty different worse scenarios that we might be in- and he wouldn't be hard pressed to come up with some, what with how much we've been through over the years- and you just left him wondering!"

"I couldn't tell him."

From her face, Clark knew with certain dread that he was about to be raked over the coals. She took in a sharp breath before getting her start. "What's the matter with you?"

"How can I tell him if the person who's threatening us is in his office? He could be best buds with the guy and let it slip that we're onto him, and then-"

"Oh, please! Bill's been our friend for years now! [i]_Your_[/i]friend for years, even! How come you couldn't trust him enough to say you just got a suspicious phonecall? I mean, for Pete's sakes, it wasn't even a threat, it was a warning! You're overreacting to all of this."

"I am not!" Clark barked back at her.

The look Lois gave him made it seem patently obvious what her thoughts on the matter were.

"Okay, maybe I am a little bit," he conceded. He let out a shaky sigh and dropped his head into his hands, shoulders sagging. What [i]was[/i] wrong with him? Lois was right- as usual. He was overreacting. Henderson was someone he'd considered to be a close friend- still considered to be one- and he'd completely shut the man out.

"Did something else happen? How did your appointment with Bernie go today?"

Clark stiffened as he remembered that morning's early appointment. Lois had dropped him off to go in alone after remembering that she was supposed to meet her mother for lunch in town today. And as much as she'd have preferred to skip out on her mother-daughter plans and go to lunch with her husband, she also knew that she'd blown off her mother three times in the past two weeks, and the woman was bound to make her life a nightmare if she blew her off again. Clark had offered to go with her, skipping his appointment altogether, but after a stern look and a reminder that he was already overdue for these tests. So Clark had begrudgingly gone in on his own, only to face more bad news.

"Clark?" She repeated herself. "How was Bernie's today?"

He hesitated. "Dr. Klein?"

Lois rolled her eyes at her husband. "No, the other Bernie that I forgot to introduce you to. Of course, Dr. Klein! Now what happened?"

Clark released a sigh and sank to the couch, looking defeated. "He wants me to start coming in every other day, instead of twice a week. To monitor me, and run some more tests. He's too nervous about upping the dosage of the green kryptonite but he said he wants me on a more rigorous... treatment regimen."

"Oh, honey-"

Clark lent voice to all his fears, finally loosened up a bit after being goaded into talking about it. "I know it's not that big of a deal, but you know how much doctors make me nervous. What if he wanted me to come in and stay in their care? With them constantly testing me and everything else? It's like my dad always told me- they're going to lock me up and dissect me like a frog."

Lois sat herself down on the couch next to him, taking his hand into hers in a gesture of comfort. She brushed that lock of unruly hair back from his face softly. "Clark, I'm sure that's not the case. Bernie's been friends with us for years now, too. We've trusted him with our secret- the biggest secret in the world- and what has he done with that knowledge?"

"Pump me full of kryptonite," Clark muttered under his breath.

Lois gave him a look and Clark immediately shot her back a look of apology. He knew that comment was out of line. "You know that's not true. He hasn't done anything, except try to help us. He wants us to be happy."

Clark nodded in return. "I know, I know that. And at least today was the last of the red stuff. You know how I felt about that. But it's just... It all just puts me on edge, you know?"

Lois nodded, pursing her lips. "I know. Does that mean... you want to take a break from it? All of the experimenting? I mean, we're still young. We don't need to start having kids right now if you don't want-"

"No! Lois," he turned to his wife with panicked eyes. How could he explain, make her understand how he felt about this? "That's not it at all. I do want kids, and I want them as soon as possible, I just... I need to start managing my stress a little bit better. I've just been... so wound up all week, ever since that phone call especially."

Lois leaned in and planted a soft kiss on his lips, effectively silencing him. As she pulled back and locked eyes with him, she saw the heat that was already in them, just from that one simple touch of their lips. She grinned. "Are you so sure that it was the phone call that's had you wound so tight and not the going-without-sex issue? Because if that's the case... then we're going to start having a lot of problems in the near future, aren't we?" She grinned at him impishly.

But she could tell she had lost him the instant she'd brought sex into the equation.

He pulled her in tightly against his chest and together they gave in and broke Bernie's number one rule for the week.

But Lois was never much one for rules anyway.

*****LnC*****

Clark sat there, fidgetting uncontrollably. He went from twiddling his thumbs, to shifting his position on the table anxiously, to looking all about him, eyes not staying in one place for too long. This was awkward, uncomfortable, and he had absolutely no idea what he could do or say to the man that could be walking into the room at any given second. He shouldn't be this nervous, Clark reminded himself. After all, he had been living a double life for the past five years as it was. One more little lie wouldn't hurt anything. Well, it shouldn't hurt anything. It wasn't a big deal, right? The point of all this was so that he and Lois could conceive a child, wasn't it?

The door opened and Dr. Klein walked in, his nose burried in his work, clipboard so close to his face that it was a wonder he could even navigate around his office, let alone through the rest of the building.

Clark shot up off the table rigidly and blurted it out without even thinking. "I slept with Lois last night!"

The doctor practically jumped out of his skin at the sound and his clipboard clattered to the ground. He looked at the source of the voice with wide eyes.

[i]_So much for keeping it a secret, Kent._[/i]

"Cl-Superman?!" Bernie sputtered, noting his dress. "When on earth did you get here? How long have you been sitting there?"

Clark looked down at his outfit and realized that he hadn't changed out of his uniform in all the time he'd been waiting here. He spun quickly into his civilian wear and gave Bernie a sheepish smile. "Only about ten minutes."

Dr. Klein shook his head and bent over to pick up his scattered paperwork. "Clark, sometimes you puzzle me."

Clark looked confused at that. "Why?"

"Let me guess what you're gonna say. You've been going crazy without her, you guys just couldn't help yourselves, and now that you've done it, the guilt has been eating you up inside?"

Clark's face fell, but he still found it in him to be impressed. "Well, yeah. But how did you-"

"Clark, if I expected anything else from you, I would be surprised. But honestly, I didn't. I just thought it might clear up some things between how yours and Lois' bodies function together. But, as it turns out, it might not be as necessary as I thought."

Clark couldn't suppress the shiver that ran down his spine. That sounded foreboding."Why?"

Bernie sighed and took a seat, signalling for Clark to do the same. Clark sank back onto the table slowly.

"Clark," he spoke hesitantly, gathering his thoughts. "I need you to understand that, while I greatly appreciate the research that Dr. Lane did, and the fact that he was able to repeat it is great... but his research... it may have been a little bit... flawed."

Clark felt all the blood drain from his face. "What do you mean, it's flawed?"

"I don't know when or where it happened- whether it was the first time he did the research and forgot to correct the mistake when he eventually repeated it, or if he had it right before they all got hit with that memory blasting ray and forgot to include it when you and Lois asked him for help again- but there is a slight error in one of his calculations."

Clark nodded, though he still didn't understand. His heart was beating out of his chest, slowly riling him into a near state of panic. Things couldn't go wrong. Not yet. He was so close to moving forward, so close to moving on to the next stage of the process- the one where they actually got to run fertility tests on him instead of just figuring out his biological makeup. The stage where he and Lois could actually begin trying to make a baby again. He swallowed and tried to shove these thoughts down to the bottom of his mind. "So, there was an error. You guys caught it. You can fix it, can't you?"

At the wince that crossed Bernie's face, Clark knew what the answer was going to be.

"Here's the thing, Clark-"

"No, no, no. You told us the research was enough- it wasn't conclusive, of course, but you said you could work with it-"

"And we still can," Bernie emphasized, trying to secure the superhero's attention once more. "But it just means this whole process is going to take a little bit longer. I need you to think logically with me on this one, Clark. One crucial mistake could skew all of Dr. Lane's research, and all of the sudden, we have an entirely different issue. Not only are we going to have to redo some of the tests we've given you, but we're going to have to rerun all of the research done by Sam at the same time, piece by piece. It's a lot more complicated than it sounds."

Clark felt as if his entire world was spinning out of control. His head was swirling and for a moment, he thought he literally might get sick. More testing? He forced himself to take a shuddering, deep breath before speaking to his friend and doctor in a calm and collected manner. "All right. When you say that we're going to have to redo it, what exactly do you mean?"

Dr. Klein looked to his shoes, as though they might give him a better explanation.

"You mean all of it, don't you?"

The doctor brought his gaze up to meet Clark's own, a look of helplessness and apology residing in them. "I'm sorry. But one change in the variable early on can mess with the entire equation later. You understand."

Clark took it all in silently, wondering how things could get any worse, when a point of confusion struck him. "You say there's a change in the variable," he spoke slowly.

Dr. Klein nodded, hesitant to really give a straight answer. "Yes, there is that."

Clark waited for a response that did not immediately come. "And that variable is...?"

Once again, Bernie was at a loss for words. "You... well... remember how when you first came in with that research, what, a little over a week ago? Two? Anyway. In Dr. Lane's research, he stated that the green kryptonite rendered you powerless and, in prolonged exposure, could kill you. He then followed up that statement by stating that the red kryptonite made you lose control over your powers."

"Yeah," Clark nodded, nervously waiting for the man to continue after a long pause.

"Well, from what we've seen from your physical and emotional reactions, and then separately from your biological reactions, I've come to the conclusion that Dr. Lane was quite possibly wrong on that matter."

Clark paled. What was that supposed to mean? Where did that put him?

Bernie seemed to notice the man's thoughts were spiralling out of control and tried to keep him focused. "Remember how... I tested you those first couple of days with different levels and doses of the green kryptonite, to see your reaction? And then I followed up the next few days with the red kryptonite, to see the difference in how they both affected you?"

Clark eyed the doctor warily. "Yeah."

"Well, I'm going to have to do more of that."

"More of what? The dosage testing?" Clark swallowed thickly. He hated that. It had been painful. So very, very painful.

Bernie shook his head slowly. "No," he responded gently. "More of the red."

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_How about a review? Sorry updates have been so slow... Reviews might boost my spirits and get you new stuff faster. :) I appreciate the reviews I've already gotten, even if I haven't been able to reply to them._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Sorry it's been a while (again). Life is cray-cray. :P

**Dsiclaimer:** I still own nothinig. That's one thing that hasn't changed in my life. :)

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_"A force as of madness in the hands of reason has done all that was ever done in the world." -Thomas Carlyle_

* * *

_"Help! Superman!"_

Out on his nightly patrol, Superman swooped down out of the sky as the call rang out in his ears for the third time tonight.

Relatively quiet night, he mused. A mugging. A jewelry store robbery. Now the car jacking.

He'd take anything at this point.

Bernie's earlier statements and the subsequent experiments had really rattled him. The tests Clark had been put through so far- the green kryptonite to chemically see his reactions, the red kryptonite for comparisons, then the testing of the dosages of the green kryptonite and how to make that better...

They were so close, he and Lois. So close to moving on to the next step- the tests for fertility. Lois- lucky, lucky Lois- was already done with the rest of her testing, to determine if she was virile and, barring any obvious barriers, could produce children. They'd tested several different hormones on her, to see how her biochemical makeup changed with each different injection, and to compare her hormone levels with Clark's.

That is, when and now if they ever got around to testing Clark's hormone levels.

Red Kryptonite.

Clark didn't voice his concerns to the doctor, or even to Lois, but the idea of red kryptonite scared him more than anything else. He'd already gotten a taste of it in the last week or so, and didn't like the experience. It was unpredictable, and therefore it was fearsome. With the green, he knew what to expect. There would be pain, significant or miniscule, and perhaps a temporary loss of powers. And the longer and more he was exposed to, the more likely it was that the pain would increase, and the length of recovery time following that exposure would be more.

The two would be administered in conjunction with one another. The chemical and biological processes were, as far as Bernie was concerned, the same as the tests that came before. But any and all future tests, that regarded the actual fertility examination process, were to be started from scratch, with that wonderful one-two punch of red followed by green. Which would also up the duration of his visits.

Clark sighed heavily as he flew through the air. Bernie had even exposed him to a small amount of red kryptonite today, after their discussion. Just to see how it affected him once more. He had to go back in first thing the next morning, at six am, to get his real testing done before work.

Clark couldn't believe his unbearable luck.

Superman spotted the black sedan and swooped in. He landed on the hood of the car with a thud and he cringed. _Focus, Kent._ He hoped he hadn't done too much damage to the car.

"Superman?" The man in the car looked up at the red boots in a mixture of awe and fear- mostly fear- and slammed on the brakes of the car. The Man of Steel did not waiver. The man behind the wheel struggled to get out of his hijacked vehicle.

"Going somewhere?" Clark asked in his most formal tone.

"Is-is there a problem, Superman? I don't know what you think this looks like but-"

Superman resisted the urge to roll his eyes and grabbed the perpetrator by the shirt collar. "It looks to me like you're stealing this car."

"I-I-It's not what it looks like-"

Clark lifted him and flew him directly to the police station. Then, in a flash, he had returned and set the stolen vehicle down neatly in a parking space.

A new uniform was on duty outside the Metropolis twelfth precinct police department and stared at the Man of Steel with his mouth agape. "S-Superman?"

"Officer, this man was trying to steal a car. I brought him here straight away. Please take him in for questioning." Without another word, Superman shot off into the sky, and the officer took the loudly protesting offender inside.

*****LnC*****

When Clark entered the bullpen the next morning with his wife, it was engulfed in chaos. More than it's usual morning news chaos, but with the something-big-just-happened kind of chaos. People were running about everywhere, voices raised and words flying around. Clark winced at all of the noise as they made their way over to their respective desks. Deciding it was likely going to be a long day ahead, Clark sighed and set his briefcase down on his desk, settling in for the long haul.

"Kent! Lane!" Perry's voice was not surprisingly still able to boom over everyone else's. "My office, now! And everyone else, keep it to a low roar, please. Great shades of Elvis- I'm gonna have an aneurysm!"

Clark shared a curious glance with Lois before shrugging it off and following their boss into his office.

"What's going on, Chief?"

"Close the door," he snapped. Clark straightened in surprise and did as he was told. Obviously, Perry White was not having a good day. He looked over his boss carefully as he moved to take a seat next to his wife. Perry looked haggard, like he hadn't gotten much sleep. His jacket was off, shirt sleeves were rolled up, and his clothes in general looked a bit rumpled around the edges, as though he'd simply thrown whatever he could find on this morning. Then there was his face- and Perry White's expression told Clark that he was definitely not a happy camper.

Perhaps it would be better to let Lois take point on this one.

"Perry," Lois' voice broke in gently as they each situated themselves in their seats. "What's going on? What's the matter?"

"Superman, that's what's the matter!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

Husband and wife shared a discreet glance before Lois continued in confusion. "Superman, Chief?"

"Yes, Superman."

Did someone know something about him? Was there a threat floating around? Wait- already he was being threatened. Did that mean that someone else knew that Clark Kent and Superman were one and the same? Or did that same person release some potentially destructive information to the public? What the heck was going on? Clark's thoughts spun on chaotically, and he prayed that his boss would clarify his statement. He couldn't bear it any longer. "I'm sorry, sir, but I'm a bit confused. What happened to Superman?" Clark asked, fear gnawing at him.

"He screwed up, that's what!"

"What?" Lois blurted. Clark felt himself going pale. How? When? He hadn't done anything that was wrong- not that he'd remembered. What was Perry on about?

"Perry, Superman does not screw up," Lois, always defensive of her hero, spoke up.

"Well, last night he did. Apparently, he hauled in some guy for a car jacking. The police took him in, questioned him, investigated why Superman might have seen anything suspicious in him, and came up empty."

"But, surely, if it was a car jacking then-"

"The man owned the car, Kent." Perry cut him off before he could get any farther, his eyes boring into the younger man's with a stronger intensity than Clark had ever received from his boss. "Not only that, but he had a clean driving record, wasn't even going over the speed limit when he'd been caught, apparently. Superman grabbed the wrong guy."

The weight of their boss' words sunk in slowly. Clark knew he was pale as a sheet, knew he couldn't hide the horror and surprise on his face. How had he grabbed the wrong guy? They were wrong. They had to be wrong. He's just hearing wrong because he went to that stupid appointment this morning. He's missing information. Yeah. That's it.

Neither he nor Lois could find any words.

Perry continued, ignoring their looks of surprise. "Now, the two of you are the closest to Superman out of everybody I know. I want you to try to get ahold of him. Talk to him. Right now, Superman is your number one story, top priority. Understand? All other stories can be put on hold until we figure this out."

"Uh, Chief," Clark finally jumped in. Lois was already bristling and he tried to put her mind a little bit at ease. "What makes you think Superman will even want to talk about this? I mean, likely it's just an honest mistake. Perhaps he feels too embarrassed to open up about it. I mean, we are his friends, but we're reporters, too. He knows that."

"Kent," Perry barked sharply.

Clark straightened. "Yes, sir?"

"You're on this story. As of now. No negotiations."

His shoulders slumped once again in defeat. "Yes, sir."

"Good. Now get going!"

They walked out of Perry White's office quickly, Clark looking forlorn and Lois looking as though she could spontaneously combust at any given moment. She spoke quietly through gritted teeth. "Clark, honey, could I have a word with you in the conference room?"

Clark swallowed and nodded imperceptibly. He was dead. He was so dead. Today was the day that fate had decided Clark Kent should die, at the hands of his wife, no less. There would be no escape.

He followed his wife into the conference room slowly, making sure the door was closed firmly behind him before turning to face her.

"What the hell? What is he talking about? When- What- How could you possibly make a mistake like that?!"

"I don't know, Lois! I really believed- I mean, I never thought- the guy was guilty!"

"Maybe you should start double checking!"

"Lo-"

"I don't understand how you made that kind of mistake, Clark! Superman can't afford to make mistakes."

Clark released a long sigh and ran hand through his hair. His wife, as always, was right on that count. He knew better than anybody how important it was for Superman's reputation to remain squeaky clean. "I know, honey."

"I mean, was there even a car jacking? Did you just grab the wrong car?" Lois was searching his eyes for something, anything that might clue her in as to why he made this mistake. He wasn't giving her anything to work with here. Instead his chocolate brown eyes were only swimming with fear and growing apprehension. She recognized that he was about to start obsessing with this, as much as if not more than she was currently.

The fact that he was scared by his mistake is what scared her more than anything.

Lois swallowed thickly and licked her lips as she thought about what she could say or do to bring him back down. "Clark-"

"I mean, I really don't know what went wrong! I don't know! I seriously thought there was... something..."

"Clark-" Lois broke off when she saw the faraway expression enter into his eyes. She sighed, knowing whatever she tried to impress upon him now would be entirely lost when he was listening so intently. "What is it?"

"Five alarm fire down in the Suicide Slums." His posture stiffened as he turned around and headed towards the locked conference room door.

The words escaped her before she could stop them. "You sure about that?"

Clark tossed her back a scathing look before opening the door and storming off towards the stairwell with intent. Lois slumped. So that had been a low blow. She huffed before making her own way out of the conference room, giving off the Mad-Dog-on-the-warpath vibe to anyone who crossed her on the short trek to her desk.


End file.
